Moroccan Blogger Jailed for Disparaging King

A blogger who accused Morocco's monarchy of encouraging a culture of dependency where loyalty is rewarded with favors has been jailed for showing disrespect for King Mohammed, his family and rights groups said. Mohamed Erraji wrote in an online newspaper Hespress that the north African kingdom had been destroyed by the practice of handing out charity or gifts such as taxi licenses to a lucky few, which encouraged people to beg.

RABAT (Reuters) -
A blogger who accused Morocco's monarchy of encouraging a culture of
dependency where loyalty is rewarded with favors has been jailed for
showing disrespect for King Mohammed, his family and rights groups said
on Tuesday.

Mohamed Erraji, 29, wrote in online newspaper Hespress that the
north African kingdom had been destroyed by the practice of handing out
charity or gifts such as taxi licenses to a lucky few, which encouraged
people to beg.

"This has made the Moroccans a people without dignity, who live by donations and gifts," he wrote.

Police arrested Erraji on Friday and he was brought for trial on
Monday in Agadir without the presence of a defense lawyer, according to
a member of his family. He was given a two-year prison sentence and
fined 5,000 dirhams ($626).

"He was judged in 10 minutes," said the relative who said he was
present at the trial. "The judge passed sentence very quickly but we
couldn't hear what was being said. He had no opportunity to explain
himself."

Reporters Without Borders said the sentence was "worthy of the most totalitarian states" and demanded Erraji's liberation.

Government officials could not be reached for comment.

Erraji, from a poor family in the small town of Biougra near Agadir,
suffers from weak health and lacks a regular job, said the relative who
asked not to be named.

"Mohamed has only a basic education but he is a free thinker who simply wants the best for his country," he said.

The head of Moroccan human rights group AMDH, Khadija Riyadi, said
Erraji's comments did not constitute an insult to the king but were
political view's on how Morocco is governed.

"The basic elements of a fair trial were not respected," she said. "It happened so quickly that all his rights were flouted."

Morocco's press code makes it an offence to show disrespect to the king.

A young man who set up a profile in the name of King Mohammed's
brother Moulay Rachid on social networking site Facebook was jailed in
February but released a month later by royal pardon after a worldwide
Internet campaign.

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